Menu

Leo’s Story

It was really hard to believe that we were going to have our SECOND child any day. I was in disbelief. It had gone so fast. I wanted to savor every second I could to have a little bit of a life still and to enjoy my time with Ivy, giving her maximum attention, because that would be gone soon.

The few days before Leo’s birth, we decided to have people at our cabin, risking going down to Yankton, just an hour and fifteen minutes away, for one last getaway before baby arrived. I figured we would be safe, I wasn’t due until the 18th. We enjoyed the weekend filled with boating, beach, grilling, and tons of playtime! On Sunday, John and I decided what the heck, let’s stay one more night since Monday was my 31st birthday (EEEK!), and celebrate it by boating and basking in the sun. It was a risky decision, because I had thought I had had a couple tightenings going on, but too hard to tell. And I had some things going on down there that I thought, hmm, maybe these are some signs of labor moving in, but, we decided to stay anyways! I just wanted to be on the boat! :)

Of course, I woke up at 1am and sure enough, a contraction. I decided I better stay awake and monitor/time them since I had had a quick labor with Ivy, we would certainly need to head back to Yankton soon if they progressed. Well they didn’t progress or get closer. They were ten minutes apart, then five, then twenty, sort of all over the place. So maybe they’re just Braxton Hicks, I don’t know, I didn’t have any with Ivy, so I was unsure, but something was going on. I decided to let everyone keep sleeping and I’d go shower and start packing us up to head back to Sioux Falls.

We headed back around 8:30am, stopped for a quick Starbucks, and I drove us home while John answered a bazillion voicemails. The contractions still weren’t bad or close together. They were getting a little more uncomfortable, but nothing major.

We got home around 9:45, John headed to his office to get a bid out quick because I was sure I had a couple hours still since they still weren’t close together or bad (in denial… good strategy, haha), well then by about 10:20, they were all of a sudden UNBEARABLE, STRONG, and a minute apart, lasting a minute. WHOA. Came out of nowhere! John got home, we quickly packed our bags, which we hadn’t done yet, which was a really bad decision! I couldn’t think with my contractions so strong and close! I don’t even know what I threw in there! Anyways, my Mom came over to take care of Ivy at 11:00am and we were at the hospital by 11:15am. The contractions were rough and uncomfortable, but I was breathing through them.

They offered me a wheelchair and I declined, remembering with Ivy that I thought I probably still had an hour or two of labor, well I was wrong. As we were walking upstairs, all of a sudden I felt like I needed to start pushing! EEEK! So I took the wheelchair offer, and we booked it up there! They brought me to the triage and I sort of panicked telling the nurses no I don’t need to be here, I need to push! The assured me that they HAD to check me and of course, I was dilated to a ten and ready to push! HOLY CRAP.

The nurses raced us to the delivery room, doctor scrubbed up all ready, and told me I’d be having this child any minute. WHAT! Still in shock. With Ivy I had labored for an hour and a half at the hospital, then pushed for an hour before she even arrived! So I was expecting something more like that again. WRONG. Well, just four hard pushes later, and we heard Leo cry… that sweet sounding newborn baby cry… the best cry ever. He was here.

They laid him on me immediately and John and I just looked at each other like, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?! We could not believe it. Both thinking, WHOA, that was close.

If you know Ivy’s birth story, you know we had to go to the NICU because of fluid on her lungs. Leo came out very blue and I panicked and begged the doctor and nurses to suction him out really well and asked about his color. They assured me that was a normal color and he was already turning pink and looking great. No NICU this time? THANK GOODNESS. Huge relief.

We had it our way this time. A perfectly healthy little baby boy. ON MY BIRTHDAY!

I soaked up the skin-to-skin, exactly what I had been looking forward to since I was robbed of it with Ivy. I held him so tight, glancing over every baby wrinkle, counting fingers and toes, enamored with his adorable looks, and falling in love with our new little baby boy. It was just how I wanted it. How each mom deserves to have it. Cuddling with their new, perfect, healthy baby.

I could not have been more happy at that moment. We finally had him. Our baby boy. What a spectacular birthday present! The best!

It was an insane 20 minutes of birth. I only tore “skid marks” I guess is what they called them, so I needed just one stitch. I have healed up much faster this time and barely had any swelling. I remember them asking me later if I had scanned in a birth plan, and I laughed like, nope. My birth plan was to wing it, and that’s exactly what I did. The Doctor was hilarious. She told me I “dropped it like it’s hot!” Haha! I apologized for rushing them and told them next time I’ll come in sooner, but she just laughed and said, that’s how every birth should be! We love these kinds! I actually did too. Just walk in, and have the baby. It was pretty nice! I’m SO thankful! FEWF!

Later that evening, I couldn’t WAIT to see Ivy and introduce her to Leo! She strolled in with Daddy and I immediately started crying. So overwhelmed with feelings and emotions! I was incredibly happy to give her a sibling but also a bit sad for having to share time now. She crawled up on the bed and wanted to see him right away. She was so adorable with how tender and loving she was! SWOON. She gave him kisses and really wanted to hold him. I was captivated by their interaction and visualizations of their times together in the future danced in my head. Siblings really are the best.

And that’s Leo’s story. Fast and furious. Exactly how I imagine him to be… :)